


Gold Dust In His Eyes

by awintersrose



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Could Be Canon, Edo Tensei, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Manipulation, Pre-Konoha Crush, Seduction as part of a deadly alliance, Sunagakure | Hidden Sand Village, You Decide, could not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23502664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awintersrose/pseuds/awintersrose
Summary: In the early days of an alliance with Otogakure, Rasa is given a revelation that seals his fate.
Relationships: Rasa/Orochimaru, Rasa/Sandaime Kazekage | Third Kazekage
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Gold Dust In His Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> For the Rasa Mini Bang on Tumblr. 
> 
> Note: My headcanons surrounding the Third Kazekage follow those of @thatshipcat. Rasa and Nadir are distant cousins, and not close relations by any means, but if this kind of pairing bothers you, then this story might not be your cup of tea.
> 
> Special thanks to shipcat for her support <3

Perhaps it was his eyes that drew Rasa first. Intelligent, self-possessed, ambitious. Exotic. With a color so like the one he lost, though the men themselves couldn’t be more different; bright gold, like newly minted ingots glinting in the noontime desert sun.

But his hands no longer trace the bronzed flesh of Suna’s champion, muscled, scarred, and glorious. He loses himself in the charms of a silken temptation as pale as moonlight, slender and yielding - though certain danger lies in the edge of fangs and the notorious reputation that precedes the man.

“Who is Nadir?” Orochimaru asks when morning has broken, his fingers memorizing the texture of Rasa’s spine.

Rasa startles at the question. A turbulent gust of wind disturbs the drapes of the eastern balcony as if answering for him. As if the late prince’s memory will make itself known whether he speaks of his cousin or not. He was the power and lifeblood of this land after all. Comparatively, Rasa feels but a poor facsimile. An impostor. “How do you know that name?”

The serpent gives a soft laugh, stretching out lazily and exposing the stark whiteness of his belly. Vulnerable. Or so he would make himself appear.

“I don’t. You called it in your sleep.”

The spectre lingering in the wind seems to become more solid, shimmering in the edges of Rasa’s vision. Did he dream about Nadir again?

Orochimaru’s gaze passes over him, skeptical, observant, hinting at the depth of his unfettered curiosity, especially when Rasa does not respond. He sits up to run a hand through mussed black hair, a reminder of all that transpired in the hours they’ve spent in this room. In this bed.

“Well, you are certainly under no obligation to tell me, but if this person’s name comes up often, depending on the context,” he eyes the bedsheets, “I might eventually want to know why.”

A slow inhale, paired with a matching exhale in even time, sets Rasa’s heart back into a more calmly measured beat. “Nadir was my cousin’s birth name.”

“Your cousin…” Orochimaru’s expression sharpens, if only for a moment. “The Sandaime Kazekage?”

“Just so.” Rasa looks in the direction of the eastern balcony. The winds still rush past the curtains, and the heavy fabric rasps against the stone tiles of the floor, the stucco edges of the entryway. 

Those eyes, molten gold like coins in a metallurgist’s forge, hold some emotion Rasa can’t quite put a finger on. The way they hold humor all the same, he’d almost swear a kinship between the two men, if it weren’t for the serpentine narrowing of pupils as sunlight filters into the room. If it weren’t for the fact that Nadir’s eyes were merely the byproduct of a tailed beast’s power.

Orochimaru’s head tilts slightly, considering. “Was his disappearance ever solved?”

“We were able to determine a suspect, and a motive.” Rasa’s fists clench in spite of himself. “What I’ve never been able to quantify was _how._ ”

“Then in addition to our… alliance, I may be able to present you with the answers you desperately need, Rasa-san.” Orochimaru’s gravelly tenor is oddly melodic, his gaze unwavering. “You see, I knew Akasuna no Sasori.”

The tenuous peace shatters in an instant with the utterance of a name Rasa has not even so much as mentioned in Orochimaru’s presence.

“I never told you who the suspect was,” Rasa says evenly, his nails digging into the palms of his hands.

The timbre of Rasa’s voice belies the shade of his chakra as it boils and swirls along his skin in glimmering, fevered waves, and the serpent cocks his head as he studies it, waiting for the certain moment when the Kazekage chooses to strike. Because strike, he will. “You didn’t have to. I knew Akasuna no Sasori and thus encountered his most prized puppet. I believe you are a canny enough man to understand what that implies.”

There is no equating the tide of rage to anything other than what it is. Darkness swims in his vision, madness in his heart, and killing intent arises in a storm of such violence, one might almost believe he truly is Shuka’s chosen. When he regains his sight, his hands are firmly fixed around Orochimaru’s pale throat, squeezing.

“Liar!” Rasa shouts, arms trembling. “Thrice-cursed deceiver!” 

He will leave this rotting corpse defiled on the sands, to be desiccated and blown away with no one to mourn it… “How dare you?! _How_ _dare_ you?!”

White hands encircle his wrists, not to dissuade, but to seek his attention. 

“Yondaime-sama…” Orochimaru coughs, with eyes that are far too amused for one in his predicament. “Hear me out.”

He shouldn't listen, no, he shouldn't listen at all, but something within him tells him he needs this intel - he needs answers. Rasa holds his position, easing the pressure while at the same time sucking in great lungfuls of air as if he were the one being choked. “... speak.”

Orochimaru stares into his eyes, and at once it’s like being caught in the hypnotic gaze of a cobra. He slowly leans up, brushing lips against Rasa’s cheek as he speaks. “You could simply ask your Nadir… directly.”

“Wh-what do you mean??”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


The winds are calm across the dunes as the sun descends midway past its zenith in a cloudless sky. Stretching low and level before them, the sands are marked with the sign of a sidewinder adder’s path; is this some kind of portent? Possibly. But as his capricious ally works to prepare forbidden methods, Rasa can feel nothing but the thrill of anticipation.

If this is a ruse to get him alone, it is far too elaborate - the Sannin could have simply killed him in his sleep.

As for this Edo Tensei, Konohagakure may have scruples about the kinjutsu and the sacrificial aspect required, but prisoners of war are a dime a dozen, and so are those sentenced to die. It should be an honor to be given as a vessel to one so exalted. In this manner, the loss of life will not be wasted.

With the sacrifice prepared, and the jutsu employed, the ground splits beneath them and a coffin emerges. From it, the first man Rasa ever loved, his expression twisted in irritation upon catching sight of his summoner, duly exuding a smug arrogance at his success.

Nadir opens his mouth as if to speak curses, until the golden eyes of Shuka’s chosen change direction, falling upon Rasa. A new recognition seems to flicker over his beloved features. 

“Cousin?” he asks in wonder. Nadir moves forward, and the halting steps of his new body lead him closer to where Rasa stands, until they are face to face. 

“Rasa…” he murmurs as their eyes meet, and the Yondaime Kazekage succumbs to the desire to embrace that which he thought forever lost.

From the nearby dunes, their lone watcher waits, knowing that the trust he needs is sealed and well in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a kudos or a comment if you can, I would love to hear your thoughts <3
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr: [awintersrose.tumblr.com](http://awintersrose.tumblr.com)  
> Pillowfort: [www.pillowfort.io/awintersrose](http://www.pillowfort.io/awintersrose)  
> Twitter: [www.twitter.com/awintersrosered](https://twitter.com/awintersrosered)


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